Ambivalent Tribulation
by karaokejunkie
Summary: Someone from Booth's past comes back to haunt the dynamic duo with only one thing on his mind; Making Booth pay for the sins of his past. Rated T for violence. Please Read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

A/N: Okay I know I promised to finish secrets for those of you who are reading it, but this one is almost completed and with a little prodding from my good friend Lara, I am succumbing and posting it. I'll be posting more as I read through the chapters so as to double check for grammar and spelling as well as wording, and also to make certain everything holds consistent. This one is a lot more angst ridden than anything else I've posted so far, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Please read and review!!

Chapter One

It was a dark night, shadows seemingly everywhere she looked as she walked the brief distance from her car to her apartment building. Even the sky had blocked out the light of the stars and the moon as ominous clouds drifted overheard. She had put in a long day and she knew it was approaching 2 am, there seemed to be no one on the street, which she thought was normal for the hour. As she neared her apartment building she thought she saw a shadow move out of the corner of her eye, but she shook it off, thinking she imagined it. Silently scolding herself for her wild imagination all of a sudden. She went inside not giving the shadowy movement another thought.

She opted to climb the stairs up to her apartment rather than use the elevator. She never used it if she could help it, opting always for the exercise that the stairs would bring her as she climbed the five flights up to her floor.

Just as she reached her apartment door she heard a noise coming from the stairs below, so she paused straining to listen. Once more she shook her head, thinking her imagination was running away with her again. She had heard no further sound and placed her key inside the doors lock, turning it and pushing her door open. As she made her way inside she turned to close the door only to have it shoved back at her, hitting her face with great force, She heard a loud crack and knew without question her nose had been broken from the blow. As blood gushed from her nose and she recovered from the daze the hit to her head had caused her she once again saw a shadowy figure, but this one she knew was corporal. It was right in front of her and she saw the figure move inside and closed her door, locking it with her own key and then placed the key to her deadbolt in his pocket.

He then reached out, grabbing hold of her hair and proceeded walking towards her living area, not releasing his hold, effectively dragging her towards the couch by her hair. She tried to speak but the pain of both her broken nose and his fierce yanking of her hair made it impossible for her to say anything more that a few grunts and gurgles as the blood from her nose filled her mouth and left a trail from the door to the couch where the man unceremoniously tossed her, releasing her hair. "Stay there" His gruff voice commanded as he moved to sit on a chair beside the couch, as though he was a simple guest and not an intruder who had just broken her nose.

The man sat calmly, waiting for her to regain the use of her voice. He made no move towards her and didn't expect her to fight him in any way. She was a small woman, fairly attractive, but not well muscled by the look of her. At least not well muscled compared to him. He had trained for this mission since he was a boy, practicing martial arts and other forms of fighting, body building to tone his large muscles. He knew he would need the strength for when he finally came up against him. The man who had caused his life's suffering. The one man responsible for all the misery the world had heaped upon him since he was a child. He had not only trained, but studied and researched. He had made his way into the military's database with help from some of his hacker friends and was able to gleam the information that led him here, to the man himself. It had been difficult to pinpoint which operation was to blame for his suffering, however it had become all too clear once the last encrypted file his friend had hi-jacked was decoded. He had had to use all his connections and resources to gain all the information, however he was undeterred, and his determination had finally paid off when the last detail had been brought to his attention. The file had listed a specific name, the man who had done the deed, and with that he began to research the man behind the name. It was hard to believe it was just ten years ago and now he was considered a man. A man who is barely 17, but a man none the less. He remembered that day vividly, as he always would.

How could he forget the man he cherished the most hitting the ground in front of him. Now the cause of that suffering had to pay, and the woman before him was the first step towards his retribution. She would suffer, not because the man wanted her to, but because he wanted _him_ to. He was the cause of all that would befall the young woman who sat before him, clutching her nose. He pitied her, for what he would do to her, but it was unavoidable, as this was how to make the man suffer. He had been watching for months, ever since he had located him. He had planned what he would do, taking away everything the man held dear. However he could not bring himself to hurt the boy, the man's son, because that would be too much. He remembered all too well what it was like to be that child, and he also knew that when this child grew up it was a good possibility if this didn't go exactly as planned he would be coming after him one day. He wasn't as cruel as the man he now sought to ruin however; he would not end his life in front of the boy. With any luck he would make him so miserable the man would end his own life, if not, he would certainly end it for him. First though, he wanted to be sure the man suffered a great deal, and unfortunately, he thought as he looked upon the woman once more, she was the only key to his suffering other than the boy. He had been glad to find an alternative, but she seemed so innocent, so pure of heart in all he'd seen of her when he had been watching. For that reason he wasn't going to enjoy what he was about to do, but he would enjoy the suffering it caused the man, the FBI agent. That suffering he would enjoy immensely. He will watch as his life slowly crumbles around him. He will laugh heartily at the agent as he falls farther and farther into the depths of despair.

After a few minutes the bleeding had finally ceased and she stared at the man sitting before her, "Who are you? What is it you want with me?" She asked, her voice filled with a kind of hateful curiosity. The glare he received from her icy gaze couldn't be mistaken for anything but disdain.

He returned her gaze, however his was not one of hatred or disdain, it was one of pity and sorrow. That look made her hatred for him grow even before he opened his mouth to speak. How dare he pity her. She was not a person to be pitied. She was a person who prided herself on her accomplishments; accomplishments primarily made by her alone, with the exception of the criminal cases she worked with Booth. She controlled everything she did, and accomplished things without help for others. There should be no pity for her; she had fought long and hard after her parents disappeared to keep that pitying gaze directed away from her, at others, but never at her. "Who I am is of no importance, and neither is what I want, you have no say in the matter." His voice was cold, but with a twinge of regret.

She sat straighter on the couch, not daring to try and get up. She knew if she did all he would have to do is hit her near her nose and the blood would start flowing again and send her into another bout of agonizing pain. So instead of trying to get away she decided to try engaging the man in conversation. She figured that as long as he was talking it gave her time to come up with a plan of action before he did whatever he was planning. She could tell that whatever it was he wasn't overly keen on following through with it, so maybe she could convince him otherwise. If she was lucky her overprotective partner would stop by with Thai food tonight, but glancing at the clock on the wall she found that to be unlikely as it was rapidly approaching three am. "Why then? Why me? Why are you even doing this?"

He closed his eyes for but a moment, willing the tears to stay back, how could he instill the fear he needed to in this woman if he cried while doing so? Her questions had forced him back to the day it happened, when he was but 7. It was his most painful memory. Steeling himself once again he looked directly into her eyes, she did deserve to know why. He would give her that much. "A man, long ago, killed my father. I have made it my goal in life to cause him as much suffering as he has caused me. You are the start of that suffering."

She looked at him, a strange mixture of confusion and anger playing across her face, "Why would I be the start of any ones suffering? What does this man have to do with me?" She put her elbow on the arm of the couch and rested her throbbing head in her hand, waiting for his response.

"You....you have everything to do with this man. He loves you, though I fear you may not know it. You are the closest thing to hurting him I can get without harming his son." A slight recognition shined on Brennan's face at the mention of a son, she was only close to one person who had a son; Booth. Booth had killed this man's father? She thought back scrolling her memory, hoping for something to connect to the man she saw before her. She could only think of one story that he had told her... when he was a sniper... the birthday party... this...this must be the little boy. Her eyes now shone with the same pity he was giving her moments earlier. A dead sadness welled within her for him, while a level of disgust at his current actions remained.

"You're wrong." She stated bluntly, raising her head off her hand and shaking it lightly so as not to cause herself more pain than she was already experiencing.

He shook his head abruptly once, "No I am not, but what do you think I am wrong about?"

"You're wrong about everything. Booth, for starters, does not love me," She scoffed as she spoke, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of the man's assumption, "And he...he deeply regrets what happened with your father. He told me, but he also told me the things your father had been doing, he killed a lot of people..."

The man jumped to his feet at her comment, his arm rose, as if to slap her across the face as a growl escaped his lips, "_Never…Never_ speak ill of my father"

He refrained from lashing out and hitting her when he saw her face, still covered in blood from when he had hit her with the door. Lowering his hand he grabbed her by the arm and jerked her around so the she was facing away from him and jerked her other arm behind her as well. Holding both her wrists in one of his large hands he pulled a rope out of his pocket and began winding it tightly around her wrists. "Enough talking, now we must leave here, it will be morning soon and he will come. We must be gone before then."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

A/N: Here is the second Chapter; I hope you enjoy it; however this is only the lead in to the story. Please be patient for as the story unfolds more things will become clear. Please read and review!!

Chapter 2

Booth was jerked out of his sleep when he heard his cell phone. He cursed under his breathe as he reached across to his nightstand to answer the call. He had been having a very good dream, and whoever was interrupting it better have a damn good reason for it. When he brought the phone to his mouth and pressed the talk button he grumbled out in a sleepy voice, "Booth."

"Ah...Seeley Booth, you do not know me, but I do know you. I have something you want, and if you want further information on the subject you will do as I say." Booth could hear a muffled voice in the background that he immediately recognized as his partner and went to interrupt the man on the phone.

"What have you done with her...I'll kill you if you so much as harm one hair on her head."

Angrily the voice continued seemingly unfazed by Booth's comments, "I need you to get to your computer and turn it on, you will be receiving something shortly and if you want Dr. Brennan to survive this night I suggest that you accept it when it pops up on your screen." He growled angrily then hung up before Booth had a chance to speak again.

In an instant Booth had leapt from his bed and made his way to his living room where his laptop was and booted it up, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for it to finish booting up and connecting to the internet. When his computer had finally finished and was online, a web cam request popped up before him. He accepted it as the man had told him to, knowing he could do nothing to risk her safety.

What he saw when the screen finally popped up caused his stomach lurch. She was there, her bloodied face shone brightly under the light. She stood up against a wall and he was under the impression that she couldn't move from where she was. If she could have, knowing Temperance Brennan, she would have. He couldn't see enough of her to know why she was unable to move. He felt his blood turn cold in his veins and at the same time he felt as though it was boiling as the force of his anger hit him. He had to remain calm however. He had to stay in control of his actions until after she was safe. If he acted on his anger now potentially harm could come to her and he couldn't allow that to happen.

After almost five minutes of staring at her subdued form in front of him his cell phone rang again. He immediately picked it up, but did not speak. He knew well enough to know when to just wait for whatever instructions he was to be given. His intense stare, however, never left the sight of her flickering on his computer screen. He was afraid it would disappear if he took his eyes off of it for even a moment.

The same menacing voice sounded in his ear as he watched her. "Now that I have your full attention I wish you to know that anything that happens to her is entirely your fault. I have rules, the first of which being that you may tell _no one_ about this. For each rule you break I break one of her bones. I have rigged it so that I can see every move you make once you get down to your SUV and there is a GPS tracking device I have placed on it so that I can tell exactly where you are. As of right now you have five minutes to be in your SUV and headed North on the street it is parked on." Just as his voice went silent the image of Brennan disappeared from the screen. Booth knew that the man had just unplugged the webcam, but when the sight of her vanished he felt panic rising within him. He hurried to his room to throw on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, never removing the phone from his ear except briefly to slide the t-shirt over his head. He was almost running in a frenzy through his apartment after barely managing to put socks on to get to his shoes. Booth was in his SUV and moving in under three minutes, and that was when the voice began to speak again. "Good, you were faster than I had thought you would be. Now I need you to get on the I-495 heading east. Take exit 12 when you get there, and do not hang up the phone." The same ominous silence as before rang out on the line. Booth hoped that it meant he was not in the room with her.

He was sure that she would have tried to call out again if she had been. His heart was racing so fast that he thought he might have a heart attack right there as he sped, well above the legal limit, down the highway towards exit 12. His knuckles were white as he tightly gripped the wheel, having switched his cell to speaker so he would no longer have to hold it; he had placed it in a holder above the rearview mirror. He tried to keep his thoughts in control and on driving instead of on her. What had he already done to her? He had seen the blood covering her face and worried she may have more injuries that he either hadn't seen or that the man was inflicting on her right now as he drove. He was unable to keep his thoughts solely on driving as a multitude of possibilities of what was happening to her shot through his head. Terror filled him as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, barely slowing to take the exit.

He continued to follow the man's instruction and felt as though he was almost driving in circles by the time the man had told him to stop. He looked on from inside his SUV waiting for further instructions to come from the phone. He saw a few dilapidated buildings that looked like they had been empty for a long time, their current occupants' most likely squatters. Most of the buildings looked almost ready to collapse upon themselves and to say this worried him further would be an understatement. If she was in one of these buildings there was more than a small chance she could be crushed if only the smallest thing was to offset the building. He knew one tiny movement of the support structure was all it would take and it chilled him to his core.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

Chapter 3

Finally after what seemed like an eternity the voice once again rang out from his phone and he grabbed it from its holder, "Now that you have arrived, in record time I must say, I must have chosen the right one to take. Go to the rear of the third building on the street. When you come inside you will see a stairwell, go down the stairs and you will find her, but there is truly nothing you can do. I wouldn't approach too quickly if I were you." He paused letting the fear settle firmly in Booth before continuing "Once you are down there I want you to make your way to the chair and sit, but do not approach her. If you do you will not have time to be sorry. I want you to remove both of your weapons and slide them to the other side of the room, and then slide your cell phone as well. Sit in the chair and handcuff yourself to the arms of it. You will have the option of leaving, as long as you take the chair you are cuffed to with you, but she will not. You can decide what action you would like to take once you are there." Booth then heard a click on the other end of the phone as he was making his way down the stairs.

He entered a hallway at the bottom of the staircase and followed it down, the musty odor making his nose curl slightly. It was dank, the walls had obvious mold overtaking it. He could feel his heart pounding harder with every step he took, not certain as to what he was walking into. There was a chance that she wouldn't be here at all, that this man was leading him into a trap and would kill Brennan the second he was out of the way. He pushed that thought out of his head as he continued on; he couldn't think like that, this was his only option, his only possibility of finding her.

As he rounded the corner she came into view, she was just as he had seen her before, with one small difference, now that he could see more of her he noticed a countdown clock strapped around her waist, lower than he was able to see on the web cam. She froze when she saw him, unable to speak at first, however she recovered quickly and at the sound of her voice his eyes stopped roaming her body for injuries and snapped up to meet hers. "Booth, you have to go, get out of here."

Her voice was strained with concern, but her eyes betrayed her fear, though it was clear in them that the concern and fear were not for herself but for him. She had a bomb strapped to her and she was worried about him. He timidly stepped forward and removed his gun from his side holster, then the other from his ankle and bent to slide them across the room, "Bones you know I am not leaving you here with some madman, so save your breath." He told her gently as the guns crashed into the far wall.

He then sat in the somewhat sturdy looking chair that had been placed four feet away from her, facing her position against the wall. He still was unable to see what held her in place, or perhaps she simply didn't want to move for fear of shifting the explosives, he couldn't tell for sure. He took out both pairs of his handcuffs and cuffed one arm then the other, and then cuffed them to the chair's armrests She let out a sigh and looked almost like she was going to cry as he anchored himself to the chair, knowing that even if he wanted to leave, being attached to the chair would make it difficult.

She didn't cry however, she quickly blinked back the tears and yelled almost angrily at him to cover the sorrow that she was feeling, "You stupid man, why did you come? What about Parker?" She glanced down to see that the clock at her waist stated that they had one hour before the charge was set to go off. "You need to get yourself out Booth; I don't care if you have to take that chair with you. Parker needs his father, so go. Now."

He could see her trembling but he couldn't hear it in her voice. He knew what she was doing, he even knew why. If he had been the one wired to explode with no possibility of escape he would all but order her away. No he would order her away. Then he would explain it to her rationally, why she should leave. So he did understand, but he was glued to the spot, he could never leave her to die, never.

He would remain here and if it came down to the wire he knew Becca would take care of Parker, and he would die alongside her, her beautiful face being the last thing he saw in this world. As much as he didn't want either of them to die, he knew even if he could move, even if she did somehow convince him to leave her there, he wouldn't survive without her. They had become too much to one another. He knew she meant too much to him for him to abandon her like that. She needed him; even if the result would be death. She needed him there with her until the end. He would be strong for her and help her through this; she didn't deserve to go through this alone too. Far too much of her life had been spent alone; he simply couldn't allow her to go through this alone as well.

He was staring at her, wishing desperately he could close the distance between them and take her in his arms. He knew she was terrified, not that she would ever admit it, probably not even to herself. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to take her desperate pleas for him to leave before he broke down and said things he probably shouldn't, so instead he decided it would be best if he said something to take her mind off what was happening.

"You know Bones; last time I was blown up I survived." He said it in a playful tone, and even managed to choke out a half hearted chuckle. She chuckled darkly at his comment as well for a moment before her rational brain told her that there was no way from him to survive this one and a sob escaped her lips unbidden. She tried to reel in her emotions the second she realized they were beginning to escape her but once they had begun she wasn't able to pull them back inside and before she could blink them back a few tears flowed down her cheeks, the salty streams making their way down until the dripped off her chin. Her sobs were as muffled as she could make them, and almost sounded like she was still half laughing, a deep sorrowful laughter.

Booth looked upon her in horror as his attempt at trying to lighten her mood had caused her to finally let her feelings break through. Glancing back at the timer he saw that they barely had half an hour. He desperately wanted to see one last smile from her before the end, "Hey, Temperance, stop worrying so much, we'll figure this out, we always do." When he saw her eyes begin to break eye contact with his own to look at the timer herself he stopped her, his tone pleading, "Please, Bones, just look at me, don't think about that."

She thought for a brief moment and decided he was right, whether it said she had an hour to live or five minutes it would be better spent focusing on him. So instead she refocused her attention on him, she looked directly into his eyes, allowing herself to sink into there chocolate depths and momentarily prevent her brain from thinking about the situation she was in. Her sobs had ceased and she was slowly calming. She let his reassuring gaze take its hold on her. She imagined his arms around her as he would normally wrap his arms around her and hug her when she felt this way. She allowed herself to fall into her own imagination and could almost feel him wrapped around her; she imagined the warmth of his body combining with the warmth of her own and took simple pleasure in her imagined circumstances before her rational thought processes brought her back to her actual circumstance.

As Booth stared into her eyes he had seen the emotions flicker through them. It had been quick, but he caught most of them. He saw the fear and doubt quickly change to contentment and relief, though he didn't understand why, he was grateful that she had been able to think of something in this painfully dreary situation that had given her a moment of solace. Now however she was back to looking at him with that same distraught and heart wrenching look from before. He desperately wanted to hold her and his arms jerked towards her almost on reflex, only to be jerked back towards the chair by the cuffs. His eyes flicked back to the timer, now down to a mere fifteen minutes. The agony coursing through his veins was immense, all he wanted was for her to be saved, somehow, but he couldn't figure out how he would manage it.

Looking at their predicament he knew they would both die, and as much as badly as he would feel for his son losing his father, he knew that either way his son would lose him. If he survived and Brennan didn't he would be lost, unable to function.

Instead of dwelling on that for the last fifteen minutes of his life he debated what to do, what to say. There were things he would have liked to have said to her before this situation had arisen, however now, when he was in this place, in this possition, he couldn't tell her things he had longed to tell her. It was better to focus on something that could bring them a few more moments of happiness in this world, but just as he opened his mouth to try and come up with something else to say Brennan's trembling voice broke into his thoughts and kept him from saying anything.

"Booth, I...I..." She took in a deep breathe as she tried desperately to gather her courage for what she was about to do. She felt horrible for doing it to him, but she had to, she couldn't allow him to do what he was doing.

Finally gathering enough courage to voice her thoughts she looked him directly in the eyes, "Booth, I need for you to leave," she paused only for a moment to hold back a sob that was trying to escape, "I need you to take care of Angela....and Zach...and Hodgins for me. This will.....it will destroy Angela....and probably Zach too." She took in another shuddering breathe before continuing, "Hodgins may be able to handle his own emotions, but he would never be able to cope with theirs as well.....they need you. Please....Booth....Please go...save yourself. Do it for Parker." Her voice suddenly became much firmer, thinking that maybe this attempt would work, "Do it for me. Don't make me die knowing they won't be okay. Please Booth, please." By the end of what she was trying to make a firm statement both her voice and her eyes were pleading. Pleading that he understand, that he realize she didn't want the added weight of being responsible for his death as well. She had tried to get it through to him that this could be his last gift to her, his survival. Him surviving would mean everything to her and her heart sank at his reply.

"Bones," he began, never releasing the eye contact he had with her, "I promised you I would never leave you. And I am not going to. I'm a man of my word after all," He tried to use the jocular cocky tone he usually used when he was bickering with her, and he almost succeeded. Her eyes were still pleading for a moment, but then she understood from the look in his own eyes that he wouldn't budge from where he was unless she was going with him.

She let out a frustrated sigh as her eyes closed for a moment, a moment which he snuck another look at the timer and was astounded at how long that simple conversation had taken. The timer was nearing the five minute marker and he looked back up to her face quickly, hoping she hadn't caught the look on his face. He had been the one to tell her not to look at it after all. "Hey....Bones..." He said getting her attention, her eyes flew back open and locked on to his. A small smile flashed on his face for a brief moment when a thought occurred to him, "I've been thinkin' about...all the times you told me..." He began to sing to her and she almost immediately picked up where he left off.

"You're so full of doubt," A small hopeless smile swept across her face as she allowed herself to get lost in the combination of Booth's chocolate orbs and the rhythmic song they had began to sing together. "You just can't let it be"

Their combined voices grew louder and all thoughts of where they were and what was happening began to get pushed aside, "But I know, if you keep on comin' back for more...Then I'll keep on tryin'...I'll keep on trying'" Their eyes remained locked as they sang through the entire song and began again. Just when they had made it to the second verse on their second time through the song a loud beep startled them both as they moved to look down at Brennan's waist where the beeping had come from just in time for another beep to sound. The timer was beeping every second as it counted down the last minute. All the relief that had come with their singing was abruptly quashed as they realized this was it, their last minute on this planet as living human being. Their eyes locked once more and the beeping persisted in trying to tear them apart; however neither would allow it to happen. They both knew their time was short and they wanted to be sure that the other was the last thing they saw in this world. Their eyes said a million things in that short minute, millions of secrets that they had tried to hide from one another came blaring out loud and clear from their eyes, but neither spoke, they simply waited.

Finally as the last second ticked off on the timer, neither closed their eyes, they knew that there was no point. As close as they both were to the explosives it wouldn't matter, they would both become dust, a liquid mist that silently fell to the floor, probably never to be discovered by anyone.

When the last beep finally sounded they held their breath. When a split second had passed instead of the intense explosion they had been expecting the timing device simply went blank and something that looked like a flag popped out of the top of it, causing Brennan to flinch slightly, reading what the little flag said, trying to control the mixture of shock and joy that she felt when no explosion had happened. "Bang?" She said, looking at Booth with a baffled expression, not understanding the circumstances, but a smile was also playing on her lips due to the irony of it.

Booth's face lit up with a full on charm smile for a moment and a chuckle escaped his lips at what had just happened, for a moment the tension in the room had been lifted. That is until he heard a scuffling sound at the far end of the room. In the direction he had slid his guns earlier and both of their heads jerked in the direction, no longer did they have smiles playing on their lips. The fear was back in full force as Booth saw a man standing by the far wall, Booth's own weapons in either of his hands, one pointed at Booth as he approached, the other at Brennan, "Well Agent Booth, I see I did make the right choice after all. You were not only willing to die for her, but with her as well." His smirk was as menacing as his tone, so filled with absolute rage that his voice was almost unnerving.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

**A/N: I would like to send out a big 'Thank you!' to all those who have reviewed so far. **

**This tale is a bit different than I've written in the past, but a couple of friends have been quite encouraging and helpful when I was writing it, so I'd like to thank Lara (PtitAnge99) and Nele (Junesse) for all their support and suggestions regarding this fic. Thanks guys!! You know I love you!**

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Chapter 4

As the man glanced at Brennan a look of sorrow replaced the anger, but Booth's voice brought the anger right back as he jerked his head back in the direction of the sound, "What do you want from me? Just let her go, you have me now."

The man's angry growl of frustration seemed to echo in the nearly empty basement room. "What do I want? Agent Booth that is simple..." He took a step closer to Brennan, never taking his eyes off Booth, "You took what was most important to me away...you shot him, murdered him right in front of me." He was barely half a foot away from Brennan when he stopped, then briefly glanced at her but quickly turned his gaze back on Booth before he spoke; he wanted this man in pain, not the woman. She was innocent, but unfortunately sometimes the innocent must pay for the crimes of the guilty. "I want to take what is most important to you away. I want to gun down the thing that allows you to live, the thing that makes you want to take breathes into your very lungs. She is obviously it, as you were willing to die with her if you couldn't save her. This way you get to watch as I kill her," Booth's horrified eyes flashed to Brennan's for a moment and then back to this man, no this boy, before him, "And you have to go on trying to live your life without her. You get to feel what I had to feel when I was merely a child."

His glare was piercing and held no sympathy for the glistening tears that were now lining Booth's eyelids. He would have no sympathy for this sorry excuse for a man, for this murderer. He glanced back at Brennan; her eyes were not filled with tears. She was stoic, as though she hadn't just heard that she was about to die, she simply stared straight through Booth, as if completely unfazed. If it had been her that had been brought to tears he may have faltered, decided to simply kill Booth and let her survive this day, but she didn't seem bothered. She would die so that Booth could feel the ultimate pain. The pain the agent had inflicted upon him. The pain of losing a love.

He looked back to Booth, staring icily into his eyes, not allow his inner conflict to show through to the agent. He wanted the man before him to fear him, to know what was going to happen, and to be defeated by it. However as he turned back to face her and saw her also staring into Booth's eyes, unblinkingly he faltered slightly. He steeled himself, telling himself that he could do this. All he had to do was pull this trigger and he would have satisfied the revenge he had set out to inflict.

His mind however faltered again as she broke eye contact with Booth and looked directly into his own eyes. His finger was on the trigger, so desperate to pull it and get it over with, but he could not. He was unable to take a life he found to be as innocent as his father's. Booth's pleas cut through his thoughts and he decided upon hearing them he would have to change his tactic.

"Please....please just don't kill her....please....kill me instead."

He turned to look at Booth, his eyes not daring to betray his thoughts as he spoke harshly, "I'll let you have it your way for now...I won't kill her." His eyes twinkled menacingly, "There is a fate worse than death." At this remark he glanced back towards Brennan, fighting now to keep his eyes from softening. He let out a slight chuckle then continued, "But first Agent Booth, I need you in a more secured possition. As we both know that chair is a movable object and I would prefer you to be in a possition where I didn't quite have to worry with what you may be doing." He glanced briefly behind Brennan and was pleased to see she had so far done nothing to loosen the ropes he had used to tie her to the large eye hook he had affixed to the wall and he stepped away from her, knowing she would be of no threat in her possition and stepped towards Booth, never lowering the weapon he held.

"Now Agent Booth, I am going to unlock one of these pairs of handcuffs, if you tell me where the keys are, and then you will secure the cuff I unlock from the chair to your other wrist, but behind your back." He smirked, "Then I will unlock the other." He looked around the room to find another large eye hook he had placed on the wall directly across from Brennan. "Then you will back over there," He pointed across to the place where the empty eye hook was, "Where I will secure the other unused cuff to that. Then we can discuss what happens next." Seeing the look of both fury and reluctance in Booth's eyes he glanced back towards Brennan aiming the gun once more at her, "Or I can just shoot her now and you stand no chance of saving her life."

Booth nodded cursing himself on the inside for ever getting her into this situation to begin with. He knew it was his fault and no one, not even her, would ever be able to convince him differently. The only thing he was currently concentrating on however was finding a way to get her out of this alive. He wasn't sure how he would do it, but even if he did not survive, as long as she did, well...it was all that mattered to him at this point.

Brennan had stayed silent, observing the conversation between the two men. She wished she had convinced Booth to leave before, and then he would be away from here and safe. She truly didn't believe that this boy meant her any real harm. He had apologized at her apartment for what he was planning on doing to her, and when he had pointed the gun at her she had seen the fear of what he was about to do in his eyes. She had seen the struggle of emotions playing on his features, and seen the relief that had come with Booth's plea. An excuse not to kill her, which, it seemed, was all he needed. So he had backed off. He had chosen to let her live.

It confused her, his indecisiveness. His inability to complete an act he had obviously been planning for a long while. She wondered briefly what his plan was now. What would he choose to do now that he knew murder was not something he was capable of? She had seen it, and she knew, whether Booth did or not. She briefly thought of calling out to Booth, letting him know what she had seen in his eyes, but she quickly decided against that. She didn't want to chance calling him out on it and him deciding he had to prove himself. She knew the torment it would cause Booth if she was killed as a way to exact revenge on him, and she never wanted for him to suffer that sort of guilt on her behalf. He felt guilty enough for the things he'd done as a sniper, and she was certain that this scene alone was tormenting him enough. She would do nothing that would cause him more distress, so she kept her mouth shut. Knowing that most times she opened her mouth in these types situations she undoubtedly said the wrong thing.

Brennan hadn't realized she had been lost in thought so long until she felt the firm hand across the left side of her face, breaking her reverie as she let out a yelp of pain. The hand had missed her already sore nose, however she was certain that as hard as it had made contact she would have a nasty hand print on the side of her face. At this she focused on the scene before her again and vaguely caught the sound of Booth's yell across the room as she realized that he was in fact attached to the wall directly across from her. The boy was now standing before her.

His eyes were betraying none of the emotions she had seen before, now they looked cold, calculating. She continued to hear Booth's shouts of complaint as she stared into the boys eyes, threatening to break down the walls he had tried to put up so as not to show the same emotion as before. She was unsuccessful however, his stare just locked with hers and determination and callousness were the only things she saw in them.

He must have realized his mistake from earlier, letting her see what was really playing behind his actions. Now he was determined for her to fear him, she imagined. Although she also knew she would never give into that fear. Fear was a weakness, and she wasn't accustomed to being weak. She wasn't about to start now. She simply stared right back at him showing her own determination in the process.

He stared into her eyes and as she stared back at him he drew his hand into a fist, seeing that no fear resided in her eyes even still, he swung, making contact with her ribs on her left side. To this she flinched slightly, never wavering eye contact. Although her facial features did tighten he still saw only determination in her eyes, so he swung again at her ribs, harder this time. She bit back a cry of pain so well that he had barely noticed her face contorting from the pain for mere seconds. Her eyes, however, still did not betray any fear and her fierce determination not to fear him was causing his anger to rise exponentially at her. For the briefest of moments he forgot that she was innocent and kicked her legs out from under her, causing her to finally cry out in pain as her hands were immovable and her arms were yanked upward behind her. Her knees slammed into the floor hard, but that was nothing compared to the pain of a near dislocated shoulder she was sure to suffer if she stayed in this position much longer.

**Please Review!! Thank you!**

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

**A/N: I would like to send out a big 'Thank you!' to all those who have reviewed so far. **

**Sorry it took me so long to post another chapter, but I've been working like crazy and barely have time to do anything, not to mention my dear friend Lara has me working on another story for her that will hopefully be done and up by Christmas. Then I am going to try and work on the other stories I have posted. This one is almost finished being written and as soon as I get it all Beta-ed I'll post it. Again, sorry for the delay, I'm hoping to put more up shortly.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying the tale.**

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Chapter 5

Her eyes were no longer locked with his own as she couldn't bring herself to raise her head from where it was. She now looked at the floor below her as she tried, but was unable to bring herself back to a standing position. Every movement she made put further strain on her shoulders and she couldn't bring her feet back beneath her. The boy's face flashed with disgust at himself for a moment, he was glad he was facing away from Booth and she was looking down and not at him. He then went to help her back to a standing position after steeling himself again, so that he could look into her eyes and hopefully see the fear he needed from her. He didn't want to continue this tactless beating, but if she did not fear him, if she continued to refuse to cry out in pain, how would he hurt the agent? He needed to make sure the man suffered as much as he was able to heap on him. If this woman would not cooperate with that then he would in fact have to kill her. He knew now that he didn't want to, but if it came down to the Agent not having to suffer for what he did, he would have to suck it up and try to put every ounce of suffering he had caused by killing his father towards killing this woman.

He was grateful when she was finally up and he could see her eyes. He had not broken her, he knew that much, for she would prove a difficult one to break down into a quivering mass of sobs, but he could not see a hint of fear in her eyes. Just a modicum of fear, but that was enough for him, at least for now.

He turned back to face the agent with a look of pride on his face, "So what should we do now Agent Booth? Would you prefer she remain in here where you can watch all the suffering I am to impose upon her? Or should I separate the two of you so that you don't have to see it?" He paid no mind to Brennan who huffed indignantly and muttered something under her breath. Booth did not speak but tried to look past the boy who was now suddenly so frightening. He had heard Brennan's cry of pain and had felt the inexplicable sense that he would vomit. She didn't deserve this. She had been through so much in her life. She deserved the rest of her life to go by smoothly; she deserved a happy life with people who cared about her, not a life where every time she turned around someone was trying to do terrible things to her. This was one of the few moments in which Seeley Booth felt regret over agreeing to be her partner. He himself had caused her so much pain just by letting her be involved in the cases they worked together. And now once again he had gotten her into a painful and devastating situation. How could he have allowed this to happen? How could he let this boy put her through so much pain because of him? He had finally figured out why the boy looked so familiar, he was a spitting image of his father, a man whose face was burned into Booth's own mind. A man Booth couldn't allow himself to regret killing due to the number of lives he had saved by doing so. He did however regret the way in which he was forced to end it. He regretted it deeply that this poor boy, at such a young age, had to witness his father's murder. That did not excuse his current behavior however, and it certainly didn't justify his treatment of Bones.

The boy growled, taking another step towards Booth, "I asked you a question" He glanced back at Brennan for a moment, "And when I ask a question I expect an answer….or does she," He motioned behind him towards Brennan who still looked slightly dazed from what she was just put through, "have to suffer the consequences of your silence?"

Booth's gaze shot to him instantly at the threat being directed at Brennan instead of himself, "What do you want me to say? I know you probably already know what you are going to do, so why should I tell you what I would prefer?"

The boy clenched his fist again and his hand twitched towards the gun he had placed in the front of his pants. Booth's gaze never faltered however, and the boy himself was getting tired, as he had waited until she had gotten home last night to catch her, and he hadn't yet slept. He decided that sleep would be good; he would decide what he wanted to do with them in the morning. "I'm going to get some sleep; I'll let you know what I decide to do to your _girlfriend_ when I wake up."

With that the boy strode out of the room, flicking a switch which plunged them into darkness as he went. When he could no longer hear the boy's footsteps he strained his eyes to see across the large chasm of darkness, desperately searching her out. He wished more than anything to see her. "Bones, you okay?"

When he was met with silence his voice rose slightly above the whisper it had been, sounding slightly panicked even though he had tried to hide the panic from his voice, "Bones? Please answer me…"

The panic in his voice startled her out of her thoughts and she finally did reply, in a small voice, a voice that almost reinforced the panic he felt. Since he wasn't able to see her he couldn't tell if she was that broken spirited or if she was tired and trying to stay quite. "I'm okay Booth. I just wish you would have left when you had the chance."

She was twisting her wrists trying to loosen the ropes that bound her as she spoke. The pain that shot from her shoulder at one of the motions she made caused her to wince involuntarily.

"That sure doesn't sound like you are alright Bones," He said, choosing to disregard her comment about him not leaving. He barely managed to keep his voice free from the worry he was feeling. Worry that only managed to intensify when her next wince turned into a yelp as the pain intensified.

"Booth," She sounded exhausted and frustrated, "I'm fine. My shoulder nearly was dislocated earlier, so there is some pain and swelling, pain which tends to intensify when I try to reposition. It's nothing for you to worry about." She scolded him.

"Bones," His voice became louder and echoed slightly in the near empty room, "Of course I am going to worry? How can I not? You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me." The last sentence was stated so firmly it shook her to the core. She had known he would blame himself and she hated it. She knew of some of the things he had done in the military, this incident being one of them. She knew he felt extremely guilty for all the lives he had been forced to take while he was a sniper. Yes he was serving his country, and at the time that had been enough to get him to complete the missions he had been given, but it didn't take away from the guilt he faced every day for each life he had taken.

She was however determined to never be on that list of people and things he felt guilty about. She got herself into situations like this by not being prepared, or by her own naivety. This was in no way his fault and she was determined to prove it to him, "No Booth," She spoke firmly, ceasing her struggles against the ropes so that a sharp pain wouldn't distract her, "I got myself captured in this mess. Me. It wasn't you who did this. If I had been paying more attention I wouldn't have had a door slammed in my face in the first place. And I wouldn't be here."

She could tell by the sigh that Booth let out he was unconvinced, just as she was about to continue trying to convince him his voice cut through the darkness again, "No Bones, the kid wouldn't have even been there in the first place if it wasn't for me. You heard him…This is all his revenge against me. It should have nothing to do with you, but because we work together, because we are friends, he came after you."

"Booth, please stop blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. It's not always your fault and as far as I am concerned you have no reason to blame yourself for anything happening to me." She let out a ragged breathe noticing for the first time that her ribs were also very sore now that she had stopped moving her shoulders. "Just try and rest okay Booth? We need to conserve our strength so that we can figure out a way to get out of this mess. That's all that matters right now. The rest we can discuss later over a cup of coffee at the diner, okay?"

After another huff of frustration Booth finally succumbed to her, "Fine Bones, I'll try and get some rest, but only if you do the same."

"Of course I will Booth," She said, for once thankful for the darkness that was lying between them. He wouldn't be able to see that she wasn't going to try and rest, but instead try to loosen her bindings. If she could just get one wrist loose enough to squeeze out perhaps she could untie the other and find a way to get Booth out of there as well.

She heard him shifting uncomfortably for awhile while she worked to loosen the rope. The clanging of the metal handcuffs hitting each other reminding her that it wouldn't be so easy to get him out even if she could manage to free herself. And she knew very well she wouldn't be going anywhere without him.

Just as he had stayed for her in her time of need, risking his own life to comfort her in what he believed to be the last few minutes of her own, she would stay with him. He needed her there, no matter what he might say if she managed to free herself. If she left she had no doubt the boy would kill him. He may not be able to outright kill her, or at least she believed he had been unable to, but Booth was another matter altogether. Booth was the man who had shot his father. Booth was the man that he had hated all these years. She was certain that as soon as he was left alone with Booth and unable to make him miserable by torturing someone he cared about, he would no doubt kill him. She wouldn't be responsible for that. They were partners and she would outright refuse to leave him behind as he had done for her.

As she thought she had continued to struggle with her binds, she could feel the rope slowly loosening. It was almost loose enough now to slide one of her hands out. Almost, but not quite, she would continue to work on them though. She tried not to think of what was to come if she wasn't able to get Booth out of here. She could see the hatred in the boy's eyes that he held for Booth. She wasn't sure they would survive both this one intact if they waited too long to escape.

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The boy awoke groggily a few hours later; he reached up to wipe the sleep from his eyes. That woman was frustrating. He had to figure out a way to get to her, to make her fear him. He went over to a stack of file folders he had sitting on a table and picked up the first one skimming through it. She had almost been unflinching when he had struck her. It was maddening; any other woman would be cowering at his feet, trembling at the sight of him by now. So full of fear that they would have to remind themselves to breathe. But this overly infuriating woman, what did the agent see in her? She had been nothing but cold and argumentative.

A frustrated sigh escaped him as he muttered, "It doesn't matter what he sees in her….it matters that she matters to him, not why." He continued to skim the file folder before him, flipping through the pages. He still couldn't believe how lucky he had gotten, being able to acquire these. His first and only temp job since coming to this country had been a courier; a courier who made regular deliveries to the FBI building. No one had even thought it odd when he had slipped into the file room and almost as though none of the Agents had even noticed.

At first he had only taken his file, to find out where he lived, and other such information about him. But after watching him from a distance for a mere week he had seen the connection of these two. The way he looked at her when she wasn't watching, the way he found any excuse to touch her. He had seen that virtually the only time they had separated in that one week was when he dropped her off for a mere hour at the museum and when he dropped her off at her home at night.

After he had seen how close the two obviously were he had managed to go back in to the file room and take her file the next time he had to deliver a package to the Hoover. Her file, surprisingly, was as thick, if not thicker, than his; sure his had been all about his military past and his FBI cases, but hers… Hers was priceless. It dated back to when she was fifteen years old. It even had a few of the details from the foster homes she had been in. He had known instantly it could be of use to him; however he had not really studied it until now. Now he was amazed at what she had been through. Now he also knew why she was so hard to intimidate, so hard to draw fear out of. He would though, and the information in this folder would help him to do so.

A merciless grin spread over his face as his mind filled with all the torturous things he could do to her. Sure, she was innocent, but now she also posed as a challenge. He so loved to figure out a puzzle and that is what she had become to him. A puzzle by the name of Temperance Brennan, and he would figure out how to terrify her if he had to try for eternity. He decided in that moment that if he wasn't able to render her immobilized with terror, then he would continue to try until he succeeded or was caught or killed. This puzzle was far too intriguing to let go of.

His grin never left his face as he began to dress himself; he decided that they could remain here in the basement on their own for awhile. He had to go get some supplies. He was dressed and out of the building in less than fifteen minutes, humming a cheerful tune as he went. He now knew a secret, something he doubted she told many people, and he was going to exploit all her secrets. He was going to hound her with the facts of her life; he would do whatever he could to make her beg for mercy. He wanted to hear this strong woman grovel, and he couldn't for the life of him remember when a person, other than Booth himself, had evoked this strong of an emotion out of him. He truly hadn't wanted to hurt her in the beginning, but now… Now he wanted her to feel fear, and he would do whatever he had to get her to.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

**A/N: Wow, I got through 2 chapters in one night! I hope you are still enjoying the story and thanks Dejavu113 for your kind words and encouragement, after reading your review I couldn't help but make my way through another chapter tonight. So this one's for you, it's even twice as long because I couldn't find a good place to break in the story! Thanks so much for your support and encouragement!**

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Chapter 6

When the boy returned from his shopping trip he immediately dropped everything off in the upstairs room he was staying in and headed down to the basement to check on his captors. He had decided that the five hours he had allotted them was long enough. He came into the room silently and flicked the switch once more causing the bright lighting to freeze their movements as their eyes squeezed shut, still unaccustomed to the bright lighting.

Booth was leaning up against the wall, the bright lighting had caused him to stir from the uncomfortable sleep he had barely been able to acquire. Brennan looked as though she hadn't slept at all, her eyes were bloodshot when she finally opened them adjusting to the newfound light. She immediately looked over at Booth. As Booth's eyes finally opened he also looked at her. Both surveying the other, taking mental notes on their status, and conveying silent messages with their eyes.

The boy made to step Brennan and Booth, a newfound vigor now that he had slept attempted to lunge towards him in a threatening manner only to be cut short by the handcuffs attached to the wall behind him.

He grunted as he ricocheted back into the wall. His sleep ridden glare, no where near as effective as his usual glare, attempting to intimidate the boy, who let out a laugh at his attempts as he headed closer to Brennan. He wanted to see if the circumstances had changed over night. Perhaps after a night of pain she would be more receptive and he wouldn't have to continue his plan of attack.

The thought was mildly disappointing to him since he had already gone to several places to pick up the needed supplies, however as he approached her and saw the defiant look in her eyes he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. This woman was too strong for her own good, and he was going to bring her down a peg. She would fear him, she _had_ to fear him. He had noticed it was becoming a need of his to control her, to get her to fear him. Almost as though it was a compulsion. He leered at her for a moment longer and then turned to leave the room, heading back upstairs to get what he needed to begin.

Brennan and Booth simply stared at one another for a moment as he left the room, but once he was out of sight Booth spoke, "Bones....are you doing okay?" He told himself it was a stupid thing for him to ask even as he said it, he knew she was far from okay, but he needed to say something and that was the first thing that came to mind. He was afraid that if they stayed silent for too long she would crawl inside herself and possibly never come out. This was something he always feared and she never ceased to amaze him with her strength, however usually in this situation one of them was at someone's mercy and the other was on the hunt to find them. A situation to which they were both captives, well, he wasn't sure how she would deal with it and it terrified him. She had told him what had kept her strong throughout the Gravedigger incident was that she knew he wouldn't give up, that she knew he would find her. Those weren't exactly her words on the matter, but he had known what she meant. He feared in this situation she would give up, because he was there with her instead of searching for her. That thought terrified him to the core.

"I'm fine Booth....as good as can be expected under the circumstances," She said, bringing him out of his reverie. She tried to place a small smile on her face which instantly turned into a grimace as her face contorted with pain. She could tell by the stiffness in her face that where she had been struck the day before had swollen. She couldn't imagine she was much to look at, the side of her face and her nose swollen, most likely also a lovely shade of black and purplish-blue. Booth probably was worried since he could see the swollen bloodied mess even though she couldn't. "Really Booth, I'll be fine."

At her words the boy re-entered the room carrying a snake, a rather large snake which he had draped over his shoulders. The sight of it made Brennan stiffen as he approached her again and Booth had a concerned expression on his face. He recalled how she had reacted to the last snakes they had come across and he wasn't sure how she would react to a much larger one, but by the stiffening of her body and the impulsiveness with which she had pressed her body back against the wall as he stepped closer to her he had his answer and he wished that there was something, _anything_ he could do for her not to go through this.

Brennan had pressed herself as close to the wall away from the boy and the large scale covered reptile as she could, she would have pressed herself into the wall if she could have. The boy stopped a few feet away from her, taking the snake's head which was dangling from his shoulder down to his waist and placing it in his hand as the snake began to curl the dangling part of its body around his arm.

He grinned menacingly at her reaction, however in her eyes, while he saw a flash of fear directed at the snake he still saw none for himself. "I read a story once," He began, in an almost sickeningly sweet voice like he was talking to a child. "About this girl" He stepped closer to Brennan causing her to cringe as he leaned in to whisper in her ear and the snake brushed up against her. "A girl you may know of." He then backed off and began to speak louder again ensuring that Booth could here this little tale of a girl.

"This girl you see, she had been a very bad girl." As he spoke he began to stroke the snakes' scales as though he were petting a cat instead of a scale covered creature. "Her parents had left her for being the troublesome child she was and wanting nothing more to do with her."

"Then she had to go live with others, and the other families she lived with, they didn't take well to her unruly nature. They didn't like it when she was disobedient, and she never could seem to do anything right. She had a habit of being disobedient and getting into trouble. When she did something bad, do you remember what happened to her?" He said looking at Brennan whose eyes were now filled with a fury instead of the fear he had hoped for only frustrating him further.

Booth had been listening to the boy as he spoke, but he had been watching Brennan. As the boy had gone through his tale he had seen the pain and anguish flash on her face only to be replaced by a fury he had only glimpsed from his partner a few times. It didn't take much to put together who he was referring to in the tale, but as he opened his mouth to speak to her he saw her close her eyes, and for a moment he thought that she was admitting her defeat to this man, which further terrified him so much so that he couldn't speak.

Brennan however was not admitting any sort of defeat; she closed her eyes to breath, to get away from the image before her. To get away from the despicable reptile that was mere feet from her. Unfortunately closing her eyes only brought her back to another time. A memory that she had worked so hard to suppress. Seeing the snake and hearing his recounting of the tale brought it all back with such a force that she wasn't sure she could bare it.

She felt herself back in that darkened broom closet, the cleaning supplies scenting the air around her. She could barely move in the close quarters without hitting either the wall or the shelves of supplies. She yelled out defiantly, "This doesn't bother me you know? I'm not afraid of the dark and I'm not claustrophobic!" Her voice filled with defiance and anger. She hadn't even done anything that bad; she was only five minutes late.

The voice of her foster father made its way through the door, "Oh yeah little girl? Well, we'll just have to wait and see about that." He growled out loudly, obviously furious with the lack of fear this circumstance had evoked from her. She saw a sliver of light as the door opened briefly and a bag was tossed in. It wasn't until the door was shut that she heard it.

The hissing sound, she knew what it was instantly as her foster father had a collection of them. She knew that some were harmless, but some in his collection were deadly. She backed herself as far into the corner away from the hissing bag as she could, her blood running cold. She couldn't see through the darkness so the only way she knew they were moving closer was by their incessant hissing.

She heard them coming closer, the hissing sound growing louder and louder until it almost sounded as though it was on top of her. Her heart rate sped and she started shaking uncontrollably, wondering if she would make it out of this confined area alive. _Would he really have thrown in the poisonous ones? _There was no way she could know, and she had never before seen him as angry with her as he was right now. Maybe he wanted to be rid of her, maybe this was his plan. Tears began to stream down her face as she began to wish to be anywhere else, any where but here. She was too young to die here, fifteen years was barely enough time to have lived. She screamed and jerked her hand away when she felt the cold scales make contact with her bare flesh.

Jerking her hand away however she immediately knew was the wrong move as the sudden motion caused the offending creature to strike. She felt the fangs latch on to the skin between her thumb and forefinger and she screamed out once more in both pain and fear. She feared that at her body mass if this snake that had latched onto her flesh and was refusing to release its hold was of the poisonous variety she wouldn't survive fifteen minutes, and she knew the longer the creature stayed latched onto her the more venom it would be pumping into her veins. She tried to relax her hand so as to coax the creature to release its hold, her attempt was futile however as her body stiffened further instead of relaxing.

She was so distracted with the first snake that had latched onto her she had forgotten about all the rest until they slithered onto her bare legs. She was then silently wishing that she had worn pants instead of the shorts she now wore. She tried not to flinch as the slithered their way up the bare flesh of her legs, but she couldn't help but flinch, causing them to also clamp their own fangs into the bare flesh of her legs as the first had with her hand. She screamed out once more until her voice was completely obliterated and only silent sobs wracked her body as the tears continued to slide down her face. The immense pain nothing compared to the fear of whether or not she would survive this ordeal. Darkness overwhelmed her and the next thing she remembered was awakening in her own bed thankful for the fact that it had all been a disturbing dream until she brought her hand up to her face and saw the bite marks on it. Then removing the blanket she saw numerous welts and bites down both her legs and the tears came back full force.

Brennan didn't know how long she had kept her eyes closed, but to her reliving the memory of her past had seemed like an eternity. When she finally opened her eyes she was aware of the silent tears streaking down her face. Tears that she had no ability to wipe from her cheeks with her hands secured behind her back. Once more her feelings turned to anger, anger at this man who would bring back some of the worst moments of her childhood and force her to relive them. How dare he, and how would he even come to know about them. Her eyes moved from Booth who was now looking as her with such sorrow and pity she couldn't bare to look at him to the boy. Her piercing glare somehow not affected by the redness of her eyes as her anger and fury showed through full force.

He stepped near her again disentangling the reptile from his arms and shoulders and holding it out towards her. "What you want a turn to hold her?" He smirked at her as the fury in her eyes gave way to panic for a slight moment. A slight panic which enthralled him, as it meant he was beginning to get to her, soon she would fear him entirely. He saw the involuntary shudder pass through her body as he approached and couldn't help a chuckle escape his lips until he got closer and leaned beside her on the wall, barely spying her bindings. He noticed that they had loosened considerably from when he had first placed them on her wrists and a sudden wave a fury shot through him amidst his glee. The only thing that kept him from striking her was the Boa he held in his hands. He placed the great snake on the floor as his fury lessened. He then turned to her, "Are you going to continue to be bad? I think we both know what happens to bad little girls." He spoke menacingly as he reached behind her to retighten the rope knotting her wrists.

After securing her wrists even more tightly than before so that the rope cut into her flesh with every movement he moved to pick up his new scale ridden friend and placed the snake securely around Brennan's shoulders causing her body to visibly shake as it slithered around trying to entangle itself around her body. He then grinned at her then at Booth across the room who looked absolutely horrified at his partners predicament, and enraged to the point that the boy was thankful he had thought to put him in his own cuffs rather than rope as well thinking that in such an enraged state he may have been able to simply break free of rope. The cuffs however held him firmly in place. He strolled out of the room leaving Brennan to deal with the snake now draped across her shoulders and dangling just past her waist.

In her head one word repeated over and over but she was unable to comply as the intense fear had paralyzed her. 'Breathe' she told herself over and over, but her lungs would not comply. Her eyes closed once more, willing away the tears of fear and frustration she had once more begun to shed. Booth's voice brought her back and as she opened her eyes and lock her gaze with his own she was finally able to comply, she was not sure however if she was complying to her own inner voice or his as he said, "Breathe Bones, you have to breathe."

She finally was able to take in a shuddering breathe that burned as the air filled her lungs. She kept her eyes locked with his and could only convey her gratefulness to him with her own eyes as she continued her struggle for breaths. He kept saying the words reassuringly across the room, and that was the only thing that held her focus anymore. She had to concentrate on Booth, on his words, his eyes, or she knew she would lapse back into the same paralysis as before. She had to remain strong; she couldn't let Booth see her becoming weakened. She knew it would hurt him further and she couldn't allow for it. He was her rock and she steeled herself away to be his. She wouldn't allow him to feel guilt for what was happening to her, but she also found herself unable to speak as all she was able to concentrate on was her own breathing and him. She wouldn't succumb to this. She _had_ to fight to breathe.

Booth fought to keep from tearing up himself over the struggle he saw his partner was having with herself. He could see her breathe quicken from across the room as she neared hyperventilation. He could see her fight not to lose control as the snake slowly slithered its way down her slender frame before landing with a slight thud at her feet. He heard a sigh of relief escape her and his gaze shifted from the snake now slithering around her ankles to her face. She still looked trouble because it was near her, but the relief of it being solely at her feet instead of covering half her body was apparent. He wanted so badly to be able to crack a joke, lighten her mood, but none would come as his concern for her was too great.

The intensity of her stony gaze was almost too much for him to take and he blinked back another wave of tears as they threatened to erupt from his eyes. She was trying so desperately to block it all out, one look at her eyes told him so. She remained stoic now that the snake had dropped from her body and her breathing had slowed down to a regular pace. While he was thankful that she was no longer hyperventilating he feared what would happen if she remained in this dispassionate state for too long. He feared she would never allow herself to come back from it. That all the progress he had made getting her to come out of her shell would be for naught.

A large amount of his fear was that she would withdraw from him after this. _If there was an after this,_ he thought briefly in a moment of weakness before deciding he knew they would find a way out of this mess, they had to. He wouldn't let her die.

Just as her breathing had regained its normal Rhythm the boy walked back into the room, his smirk lighting up his entire face as he had watched her distress from the shadows. Even though now she had calmed her demeanor, he had seen her struggle for breathe, had seen that the only way she had gotten herself to breath once more was his voice and his comforting form across the room. He knew now what he would have to do. The only way to make her fear him completely would be to get her away from him. That was the easy route though, and the agent wouldn't see the fear instilled in her if he did that, so he conceded to try further first. If, however, she still refused to give in to her fear, he would have to do it.

He wanted Booth to see and experience everything though, and a thought occurred to him, though he would have to go out for more supplies later in order to do it. He could set it up so that the agent could watch, even while she never knew. It may take awhile to set up, but he had all the time necessary. This was his mission in life, he wouldn't compromise it. He would however have to get a second generator if he decided to set it up. The current generator he was using only had enough power for the lights, and a few other things he had running off it. Luckily he could afford any supplies he may need; his father had left him a virtual fortune when he was killed. He hadn't gotten any of it until he had turned sixteen and for that he was thankful, had he already spent all of this inheritance before then he wouldn't have the ability to put the agent through such torment.

Upon reentering the room he went over to Booth to place a gag in his mouth, deciding he didn't want any interruptions for the upcoming talk he was planning on having with his partner. He simply wanted the agent to have to watch her in misery, completely helpless to alleviate it. As the boy strode towards her and reached to pick up the snake that was beginning to wind its way up her leg. As he disentangled the creature he noticed her legs trembling. She was weakening physically and he wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to stay in this position. He wanted something from her though, and he wasn't about to give her any kindness without a submission of some kind. So he simply rose back up with the snake in his arms and made his way back up the stairs to place the snake in its cage. As he reentered the room minutes later her legs gave out from under her and he heard as well as saw her knees slamming into the concrete beneath her. A scream escaped her lips before she managed to suppress it.

He walked quickly over to her, barely sparing a glance for the disheartened agent whose eyes were glistening now and a panicked look was etched on his face. She was his only concern right now; the agent could watch and wait. "Dr. Brennan, if you answer two questions for me I will remove you from the wall and allow you to sit properly in a chair, but you have to be completely honest."

Brennan struggled to breathe as she felt her arms threatening to dislocate again. The pain from before doubling the intensity of what she felt now. "What?" She barely managed to get out between her labored breathes, and as she spoke her voice was strained and slightly higher pitched than usual as she fought the pain from making it's way into her voice.

He bent down in front of her to look into her eyes for a moment. Desperately wanting to see whatever emotion might flash in her eyes at his question. Hoping that he had indeed picked the question that would cause her a great deal of suffering to answer in front of her partner. "How did it feel when the doctor came out and told you that Agent Booth was dead? And I mean that I want the whole explanation of it, not just a brief depiction of one moment, you thought for two weeks he was dead, I want to know how you felt." He was overjoyed at the flash of fear that shone in her eyes as her gaze flicked past him and onto that of Booth.

"What...how did you?" She began but the pull that was affecting her arms led her to believe that how he knew these things didn't matter, she had a choice to make. Could she bear to tell the truth knowing the devastation it would cause Booth? She took in another shuddering breathe. "It hurt," She stated simply, almost in a whisper, "but then I compartmentalized it, and it no longer effected me." She glared into the man's eyes, not willing to let her gaze fall on Booth, fearing that he may have heard even though she had whispered her response.

"What's that?" He asked a returning glare directed at her, "I couldn't quite hear you, and I'm certain that it wasn't the truth." He then placed one of his hands on her shoulder and placed a infinitesimal amount of weight onto her shoulder to which she let out another gut wrenching scream of pain, "But if you want to continue whispering and lying I'll just leave you like this to contemplate your lies further." He then rose and went to the center of the room and over to the side where he could watch the reaction of both of them. Reveling in this moment as he knew by the fear he had seen at his question that this would likely hurt both of them no matter what she chose to do. If she stayed in her possition and refused to answer she would have physical pain, while Booth would feel as though she didn't trust him enough to be truthful. He would feel like she was hiding things from him. If she told them the truth, he knew it would pain Booth to know how much pain she had truly been in.

As she contemplated which would be a better choice, succumbing to his request or allowing her arms to dislocate? She had felt her muscles begin to tear when he had put even a slight weight on her shoulders. The burning sensation hadn't ceased but only intensified since he had released his hold as she felt her muscled continuing to rip inside her arms from the continued strain of her position. She felt her bones separating from the pull and the cartilage growing taunt. She knew very well that she may suffer irreparable damage to both her arms if she stayed in this position much longer, so she did succumb, she would give in to him on this. She glanced over at Booth with an apologetic look, but immediately had to look away as the look of pity and guilt he was giving her tore her apart. She closed her eyes and tried to compartmentalize the pain and anguish she was feeling from not only the pressure on her arms, but the look she had seen in his eyes. She steeled herself once more and began to speak. "It was devastating. I realized what Booth had meant when he told me about Sully losing his partner. It changes you. It makes you understand how short life is, and it makes you wish you had never gotten close to them in the first place. It made me realize once again that everyone leaves, whether they want to or not, they do. I felt guilt, because it was my fault. He stepped in front of a bullet meant for me. I felt anger, at him, because he should have just let the bullet hit me, because if it had I wouldn't be feeling the way I did. I felt regret, for all the things I never said; All the things I never did. I went to work, I practically lived at work. I stayed busy so I didn't have to think about it. I compartmentalized it eventually. No one saw my tears, but I did cry. I did feel his loss, and I hated him for leaving me." She was silent then and couldn't bring herself to look up from the floor terrified of what she would see if she looked over at Booth.

The boy approached her once more, dragging the chair Booth had initially sat in with him as he did so. "Very good Dr. Brennan, I believe that would count as the truth, even if I doubt that was all of it, it will do." He reached down to her and pulled her back into a standing position pressing her against the wall and keeping his hands on her shoulders to help to stabilize her. He wanted her to be standing for this part, so she couldn't hide her face from the agent. "Now Dr. Brennan, I want to know what you felt when you discovered he was alive, when you knew he had betrayed you and allowed you to go through all of that pain and suffering for no honest reason."

Horror flashed once more in her eyes before she began to contest, "No, he didn't betr..." But as she spoke she felt his hold on her shoulders loosen so that she would fall again if he let go.

"Now, now doctor, I said the truth." he said as he slammed her shoulders back into the wall causing her to yelp out in pain again. "We both know how betrayed you felt, so tell the truth."

She once again closed her eyes to try and steel herself as she did he shifted so that when she opened them Booth was no longer blocked from view by his body but right there before her looking at her, pain contorting his face and his eyes shone so much emotion she had to close her eyes again to escape them. The boy however shook her to let her know that it wasn't acceptable so she opened them and chose to look up towards the ceiling instead of over at Booth while she answered. She just couldn't look in his eyes as she told of what she thought had been his ultimate betrayal. "Again, I was angry, I was hurt. He lied to me. He let me believe he was dead. I felt as though everything I had ever believed about him was a lie, but at the same time," For this she did chose to look Booth directly in the eyes so that he could see how true her words were, "At the same time, I was overjoyed. Immensely happy because he was in fact alive." Tears were in her eyes as she stopped speaking this time, for she no longer had the strength to hold them at bay. Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to hold them back, but a few still escaped and made their way down her cheeks.

The boy looked pleased, both by her own reaction as the tears flowed down her cheeks and of Booth's as when he glanced over his shoulder the man looked devastated. Although he was sure that the end of her statement did cause the agent slight relief he was certain that the rest had been enough to wound him greatly. The slight amount of pleasure that came from that one statement wouldn't be enough for the grief he felt for putting her through it in the first place.

He broke himself free from his thoughts but couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he reached behind her to release her bound wrists from the wall. After untying them he helped her into the chair, and knowing she was probably too weak to lash out at him at this point he also untied her wrists from behind her back as she sat on the edge of the chair. After separating them he proceeded to tie each to an arm of the chair after pushing her so that she sitting back in the chair. He then proceeded to tie her currently weak legs to the chair, knowing that as they rested she would gain more strength in them, so that she was still as immobilized as she had been before.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

**A/N: Thank you to all who have been reviewing, as I appreciate it more than I can say. **

**Chapter 7**

The boy then went to stand behind the chair he had seated her in so that she had an unobstructed view of Booth as did he of her. "So tell me Dr. Brennan why is it you have such a knack for trusting the most untrustworthy of people. It's like you enjoy being hurt and betrayed." His gaze settled on Booth so that he could watch his reactions instead of hers to his words. Booth's eyes hadn't left her and he highly doubted that they would.

"Is it that you like feeling betrayed? Why else would you allow yourself to get so close to a serial killer? You know the one I mean, that assistant of yours, how long did you allow him to help with cases? How long had you taken him under your wing and taught him? You probably taught him everything he would have needed to know how to get away with the murders he committed didn't you?" He was exaggerating as the assistant had only admitted to one murder, but he didn't care at this point and putting the thought in her head that he could have killed more and just not been caught because of what she had taught him didn't feel like a bad thing to him.

He paused for a few moments to let his words sink in, he wanted to be sure that she felt every word and that it started her brain working through the memories of how it all felt. "Or how about daddy dearest? I must admit I couldn't stop laughing when I read he actually handcuffed you to a park bench so that he could leave you behind again without you being able to follow. He took your brother, but he didn't want you. You were no good, he saw that then and he saw that the first time he left you behind. He knew you weren't worth the effort." He smirked as he saw Brennan's stature becoming stiffer in his peripheral view and Booth's face grimace in pain on her behalf.

"It seems you have no one that actually cares about you Dr. Brennan. Your parents left and not long after your bother left too, no one claimed you; you just got forced upon people who didn't want you either. You were never good enough, or someone would have wanted you. Still to this day no one of value wants you." He smirked at Booth as his expression took on an even more pained look and he could hear muffled shouts that Booth was trying desperately to yell out through the gag. "The one good one you managed to catch threw you back and left for the sea. He just left you and sailed off into the sunset because you weren't good enough to stay for, he didn't want you. The others you've dated have either ended up dead or were simply losers. What was the guy from New Orleans's name again? Graham Léger right? A doctor who ended up crucified after only one date with you." A chuckle escaped his lips, "You my dear girl seem to be cursed to a life alone, anyone who gets close to you gets hurt or hurts you. You should learn not to be so trusting."

"Then there was the professor, I rather liked him. A very bold move he made going straight from your bed to discrediting you in court. Oh." He let out a another laugh as he went on his eyes gleaming wistfully, "and my all time favorite, the man you consented to date as you were investigating his brothers murder, only to have good old Agent Booth over there come and arrest him in the middle of your date. I mean how could you be so _absolutely_ clueless as to date the murderer in the case you are working? Were you hoping to be his next victim?" He paused again, knowing he had said a lot and wanting for her to take it all in. He leaned slightly forward from behind the chair so that he could glimpse her face and seeing the tear streaks running down her cheeks a broad grin drew on his face. He was winning this round and he knew it. He could tell the only reason she hadn't spoken was for fear of her voice sounding weak, or possibly because she knew once her mouth opened the only thing she would be able to do is audibly sob, and her pride obviously wouldn't allow that yet.

"Speaking of being a victim, who was it that put you directly in the hands of a murderer?" At this, Brennan's eyes locked with Booth's trying desperately to convey his lack of fault in that situation, no one had seen it before, it wasn't his fault, her head shaking as if begging _him_ not to listen to the words. As if she were wishing all the pain onto herself so that he need not suffer any further guilt. "One who almost immediately after took you to a warehouse and attempted to feed you to dogs and gouge out your eyes? Maybe you just like playing the victim...I mean you do it so often." With that he stopped, pushing off the chair and heading over to remove the gag he had placed on Booth before leaving the room. Once he had he Booth began to shout at him for all his treacherous comments and all he could do was grin. _Two birds, one stone._ He could hear her sobs the moment he stepped out of the room and grinned, he knew she would crack, and cracked she had. Her sobs were desperate, and he could hear her gasping for breath in between them. He knew this sight of her breaking down completely in front of him had to break the agent as well. His grin widened further as he went upstairs, deciding it was time to take a break and get a few hours sleep. He decided not to darken the room this time however as he wanted to be sure Booth saw her complete distress, not to mention the lack of sleep would do nothing to hurt his efforts.

* * *

Booth had tried to fight by moving his head away as he tried to place the gag around his mouth. He didn't want to be unable to help Brennan at least with his words. His fight however was futile as he had no use of his hands to defend himself. As the boy turned and began approaching Brennan after placing it Booth tried to yell out, tried to scream at him not to do whatever he was going to do, but the sound was muffled so much so by the gag that barely a murmur escaped. He wasn't even certain the boy had heard that much from him. His eyes fell on Brennan; he was terrified for her and refused to look away. He needed to find a way to keep her safe, to get this boy away from her. He watched as the boy picked up the snake and felt his heart break as he saw her fighting her legs as they wobbled beneath her. He did feel a slight relief however when he saw the boy exit. Maybe he would leave them alone for awhile, and though he was unable to verbally comfort her he knew that if she just looked into his eyes she would be able to see the comfort he was willing her way.

His relief was short lived as the boy came back into the room. As he was watching the boy enter a deafening scream from Brennan quickly drew his attention back to her and he was once again horrified by the sight before him. Again he couldn't help but try to call out to her, only to have his muffled cries go unheard.

The boy's voice trailed to his ears asking her about questions. He wanted her to answer questions. Honesty had never been an issue for Brennan, so he wasn't too terribly concerned about the questions until he heard the first one. The question itself nearly broke his heart. He knew she was reliving one of the worst times she had been forced to endure throughout their partnership. As hurt as he had been to find out that she hadn't cried, he knew that she had felt the pain, she had felt the loss. He caught the glance Brennan had made his way and it looked as though it was some sort of apology. He had put her through hell with that experience and he knew it, what did she have to apologize for? He hated that she even felt the need to do so.

He couldn't hear her first reply, but the boy was obviously not satisfied with it as he all but ordered her to speak louder. Booth nearly tried to yank his own hands off as he jerked forward at the sound of her painful scream as the boy pressed down on her shoulder. He wanted in that moment to kill the boy in front of him, something he had never thought himself possible. To Booth this boy was just that, a boy, a child. Booth was against violence regarding children and it pained him a little that he wanted this boy dead. He couldn't help the rage that was boiling inside him as he watched the boy hurting his partner. Any time anyone dared to even verbally abuse her Booth would step in to defend her. In his currently helpless state all he could do was try to reel in his rage and focus on her.

He watched as an inner battle of sorts played out in her features. She still hadn't looked up at him since the first glance of apology. Finally she seemed to make her decision and spoke. The words that escaped her mouth cut through him like a thousand daggers. He felt his heart melting at how much she had cared and at the same time the rage at what he had put her through. Though it was in fact Sweets fault she hadn't been informed, he still felt partly to blame. She had been right, he should have broken protocol. He hadn't known Sweets would deny her the information, but he should have wanted her to hear it from his own lips, so that she could be sure. If he got out of here after hearing what she truly felt about it he was going to have to knock the kid around a bit for it. She had been through too much already for him to have put her through even more loss. In that moment he hated Sweets, not as much as the boy before him, but enough that he knew a percentage of his current rage would eventually be lashing out at the young therapist.

Just as these thoughts passed through his mind he caught the end of her gut wrenching statement, 'I hated him for leaving me.' and a muffled sob escaped his throat, only then was he thankful for the gag in his mouth. He would never have wanted that sound to reach her ears as he knew the pain it would cause her. He could not stop nor wipe away the tears that had begun filling his eyes should they decide to fall, but he could be grateful for her not hearing the audible declaration of how much that one statement had cut him straight to the heart. He never wanted her to feel that pain again. He never wanted her to feel any pain again, as unrealistic as he knew that was especially in their current predicament, he couldn't help but want for it.

The next question the boy asked was like a continuation of the initial slice the comment about how she had hated him, he felt a burning sensation in his chest and he fought hard to continue breathing. He wasn't sure he could bare her response. He had betrayed her and he had a hard time dealing with it on a regular basis just in his own head. He wasn't sure he could take the words coming from her mouth indicating it in the affirmative.

As she continued looking at the ceiling whilst giving her admissions of anger and hurt he couldn't help but wonder if she was doing it to keep the truth from him. If she had looked him in the eyes while making this admission and he had seen just how much truth were in her words, seen how much pain he had truly caused her, he was certain that he would beg for death himself if not that it would cause her further pain. His eyes were still brimming with tears as she finally made to look into his eyes. Her words then brought him little comfort, but at the same time filled him with a strange sense of belonging. She was happy he had lived, and she was finally admitting it. His only wish was that she had chosen to admit this of her own free will and not at the hands of a madman.

As he saw her squeeze her eyes shut and the renegade tears that escaped her lashes made their way down her cheeks he wanted to do all the hurting for her. Simply take all her pain away and bring it upon himself so that she wouldn't have to feel it. At a glance he saw the smug expression on the boys face and groaned into the gag, he knew it wasn't over just from the gleam in the boy's eye.

Booth wanted to scream out so many times in the passing hour as the madman continually told her she was worthless, and a few times he couldn't help but do so, regardless of whether they would hear him. He repeatedly had told her no one wanted her. He recounted times in her life that Booth knew would bring her close to the breaking point almost on their own, so stringing them all together like that was most definitely a devastating blow. Booth could see her composure slipping as he continued. Laying out all the negative things about her life was making Booth want to kill him even more, but he refused to convey the non verbal threat as he would have to take his eyes off her to do it. She needed him now, even if he couldn't hold her, even if he couldn't sooth her with his words, he could give her the reassurance of his gaze and hope she took it as such.

The words the boy spoke about her being a victim cut him as deep as they looked like they were cutting her. That was once thing he would never forgive himself for. Handing her over to Kenton like that, he should have seen it sooner. He should have never put her in that kind of danger. Just seeing her form crumple before the words he slung at her was tearing Booth apart. He could also see the message her eyes were trying to send him, her complete trust and belief in him still astounded him. He could see that she never held him at fault for the situation, but he could also see how absolutely defeated she was.

When the boy removed the gag from his mouth Booth immediately started spouting out threats and obsinities at the boy. The boy seemed unfazed however as his grin widened as he made to exit the room. As soon as he had gone Booth turned his attention back towards the sobs of his partner, "Bones..." He tried but to no avail. She wouldn't so much as look at him now. He knew her, and knew that this display was probably making her feel ashamed, like she was weak, but she wasn't. He had literally just put her through the worst type of hell Booth could have imagined for her, and she held fast till the very end. She did not allow the boy to be present for her sobs. He knew how hard she had fought for that and he was proud that she had done it. He knew how hard it had been, were it not for the gag in his mouth he would have succumbed to sobs in front of their captor long before she did. He had such admiration for the woman's strength that she would never know its bounds.

"Temperance...please..." He tried desperately hoping for her to look at him. He wanted desperately to help her calm in the only way he had access to at the moment. With his words and his eyes. Still though, she made not move to look towards him.

"Temperance, you can't listen to him. You are not at fault for any of the things that have happened....you are wanted...." His soothing voice made to caress her across the distance of the room, trying to bring her back to him. Trying to coerce her out of the despair she had fallen into. "Please Bones, just look at me."

Brennan still couldn't bring herself to calm, and she refused to look towards Booth when the tears and sobs were still flowing freely from her. She was unwilling for him to see her as vulnerable as she was in that moment. She felt as though he had taken and stripped her to her core. She hated herself for allow the words he had spoken to effect her, but at the same time as he had spoken them she found many of them to be truths. It was the truths that hurt her the most.

The blatant exaggerations and lies he had spoken she could easily look past, but the truths and the uncertain fears that she held deep inside herself never allowing to surface that he had spoken had quite simply made to strip away her defenses. Simply, and effectively. She had know from the start it was what he was trying to do, and she cursed herself once more for giving in to what he had wanted.

"Bones..." Booth tried again, seeing her trembling form across the room slowly becoming less haggard. He knew that it had taken time, and he had tried to continue muttering his reassurances throughout the time, however she hadn't really seemed to hear them. "Temperance, please look at me so I know you'll be okay...."

That comment alone made her raise her eyes to meet his. He was asking for her to reassure him, not asking for the opportunity to reassure her. How could she deny him the reassurance he needed after her earlier confession that he was forced to hear. She knew every word she had spoken had not only opened a long healed wound, but also hurt him deeper than anything else she could have done.

As their eyes met a shiver jolted down her spine at the raw emotion she saw within them, only for a split second before he pushed it back and was looking at her trying to convey his reassurance, "Temperance, don't think about what he said. It wasn't true. You are a wonderful person and there are so many people who love you. So many people who want you in their lives."

He watched as she nodded at his words, still not speaking. He felt so helpless being unable to effectively comfort her. He went on with his words however; as it was all he felt he had to help her through this, "I mean it Bones. You have a family that would be devastated if you left them. Remember before, when we thought we were going to blow up? Remember what you told me?" He paused and his breathe hitched as she looked at him, her eyes wide and childlike. They almost looked as though they were silently imploring him to go on; begging to be convinced of her worth. The thought that she had to be convinced was a devastating realization for him, however he wouldn't give in. He would make sure she regained her faith in herself, one way or another.

"Temperance, when you thought we were going to die you told me how Angela would be lost, and that Hodgins would need help to get her through this. You know how much they care, they love you Bones. You know that. And Temperance, I would never want to be without you in my life either. You are _very important_." He stared deep into her eyes and let her take in the words he spoke, "I mean it Temperance, you are _very_ important."

She stared back into his eyes as his words sunk in and she flashed him a ghost of a smile more for his benefit than her own, "Thanks Booth." She said barely loud enough for him to hear it from his place on the other side of the room. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but instead when she opened her mouth again words that he hadn't been expecting flew at him, her voice still filled with sorrow and a child like innocence, "I'm tired Booth. I think I'm gonna..." Before she was able to finish her sentence she had succumbed to the exhaustion that had been wracking her body after almost two days with no sleep and the emotional exhaustion she had endured.


End file.
